1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color filter producing method and apparatus, a color filter for a liquid crystal display, and a liquid crystal display device and an apparatus that employs the liquid crystal display device.
2. Related Background Art
For the production of a color filter using the ink-jet method, a color filter producing method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 9-101412. According to this method, three heads for ejecting colored inks, R, G and B, are prepared to color individual filter elements with R, G or B ink. As is shown in FIG. 33, when the heads and the substrate relatively scan in direction X, each filter element in direction Y is so colored as to have the same ink color, and adjacent filter elements in direction X (the main scanning direction) are so colored to have different ink colors. With this method, since the nozzle pitch need not match the distance between the filter elements, the time required for adjustments before beginning the filling process can be reduced.
As is described above, by using the coloring method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 9-101412, adjacent filter elements in the main scanning direction are colored with different colors. Thus, when the ink is ejected while relatively scanning the heads and the substrate in direction X (main scanning direction), and when the landing location of ejected ink is shifted in the main scanning direction, ejected ink be deposited in adjacent filter elements and color mixing may occur. Therefore, the present inventor found that the landing location of ejected ink is especially important when this coloring method is employed. As a result of a serious study, it was found that to reduce color mixing it is preferable that the shifting of landing locations in direction X be eliminated.
To resolve this problem, it is one object of the present invention to provide a color filter producing method and a color filter producing apparatus whereby the shifting of ejected ink dot landing locations is eliminated and the occurrence of color mixing is reduced in case a color filter is produced by ejecting ink while a head and a substrate relatively scan in direction X (the main scanning direction), and whereby adjacent filter elements are colored with different colors.
To achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided a color filter producing method for producing a color filter by ejecting onto a substrate ink from an ink-jet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged substantially in a first direction while relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, so that filter elements adjacent in the second direction may be colored to have different colors, the method comprising:
a main scanning step of relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in the second direction;
a coloring step of ejecting inks, during the main scanning, from plural different nozzles of the ink-jet head, and coloring the filter elements with the plural ink dots; and
an adjustment step of measuring, before the coloring, landing locations for the plural ink dots to be ejected to color the filter elements, and of employing the measurement results to adjust the difference of the landing locations,
wherein, at the adjustment step, the positioning difference in the second direction is measured, and ejection timings for the plural nozzles are adjusted so that the plural ink dots land along the center line of each of the filter elements in the first direction.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a color filter producing apparatus for producing a color filter by ejecting onto a substrate ink from an ink-jet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged substantially in a first direction while relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, so that filter elements adjacent in the second direction may be colored to have different colors, the apparatus comprising:
main scanning means for relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in the second direction;
coloring means for ejecting inks, during the main scanning, from plural different nozzles in the ink-jet head, and for coloring the filter elements with plural ink dots; and
adjustment means for measuring landing locations for the plural ink dots to be ejected to color the filter elements, and for employing the measurement results to adjust the difference of the landing locations,
wherein the adjustment means performs the adjustment before the filter elements are colored by the control means, and
wherein the adjustment means measures the positioning difference in the second direction, and adjusts ejection timings for the plural nozzles so that the plural ink dots land along the center line of each of the filter elements in the first direction.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a display device having a color filter, the color filter being produced by ejecting on a substrate ink from an ink-jet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged substantially in a first direction, while relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction so that filter elements adjacent in the second direction may be colored to have different colors, the method comprising:
a preparing step of preparing a color filter produced by executing a main scanning step of relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in the second direction, a coloring step of ejecting ink, during the main scanning step, from plural different nozzles of the ink-jet head, and coloring the filter elements with the plural ink dots, and an adjustment step of measuring, before the coloring step, landing locations for the plural ink dots to be ejected to color the filter elements, and of employing the measurement results to adjust the difference of the landing locations, wherein the adjustment step includes the steps of measuring the positioning difference in the second direction, and adjusting ejection timings for the plural nozzles so that the plural ink dots land along the center line of each of the filter elements in the first direction; and
an integrating step of integrally forming a light quantity varying means and the color filter.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing an apparatus including a display device having a color filter, the color filter being produced by ejecting on a substrate ink from an ink-jet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged substantially in a first direction, while relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction so that filter elements adjacent in the second direction may be colored to have different colors, the method comprising:
a preparing step of preparing a display device integrally forming therein a light quantity varying means and a color filter produced by executing a main scanning step of relatively scanning the ink-jet head and the substrate in the second direction, a coloring step of ejecting ink, during the main scanning step, from plural different nozzles of the ink-jet head, and coloring the filter elements with multiple ink dots, and an adjustment step of measuring, before the coloring step, landing locations for the plural ink dots to be ejected to color the filter elements, and of employing the measurement results to adjust the differing of the landing locations, wherein the adjustment step includes the steps of measuring the positioning difference in the second direction, and adjusting ejection timings for the plural nozzles so that the plural ink dots land along the center line of each of the filter elements in the first direction; and
a connecting step of connecting, to the display device, an image signal supply means for transmitting an image signal to the display device.